A Spring in her Step
by GoneButNotDead
Summary: God, being friendzoned sucks. But Jack couldn't help it. He was the only one who was there for her. If you were nice, and were able to knock down those walls of hers, you would understand why some days were better than others. Most of the time, she walked. Sometimes, she hopped. Sometimes, she staggered. And even less common, she hopped. *Movie&Book!Verse Rise of the Guardians
1. Chapter 1

He would never forget the first day he saw her.

It was cold, and dreary, but then again, most Winter days were like that. Jack tried to make the season a bit more gentle, but sometimes (more often than others) nothing would cooperate with him.

"Shit," he heard her voice, quiet, and not so much full of malice as it was agitation. It was unique, like she came from a different world. Well, more like a different continent. "Why's it gotta be so freaking cold?"

"It's Winter," he remarked, "that's how it works."

Jack didn't expect what happened next to happen. She spun around to face him, bright ginger hair flowing behind her. He could see little snowflakes had gotten themselves entangled in her mess of waves, and he smiled down at her. How tall, exactly, was she? Jack was five feet, eight inches easily. But she was at least a foot shorter than him.

"Well, no _sane_ mortal would wear...that," she looked Jack up and down with distaste in her eyes, as if to say, _"that shirt? with those pants?"_ "You must be a spirit."

"Wow, you are good at this." he smirked, and leaned on his wooden staff casually. "The name's J-"

"-Jack Frost," she interrupted. He blinked a few more times than necessary. "Oh, come _on_. The densest person in the world would know who you are. You've even got frost on your hoodie!"

He blinked again before looking down at the visible patterns of frost etching their way from the cuffs of his sleeves, the edge of his pocket, and around the bottom hem. "So, you know who I am. Am I supposed to know you?"

"No." she replied curtly. At this, Jack raised an eyebrow.

"And why is that?" he asked.

"I have nothing to do with you, or vice versa. Kindly understand that's just how things work." she examined his features, like this generation's Sherlock Holmes. She saw the bags under his eyes, slowly fading. His eyes were a remarkable blue, like of the sky as it's reflection hit the frozen surface of the water, shattering the ice and displaying the blue beneath, along with the shimmering blue above. Those things definitely held some secrets. His eyebrows were dark, yet there were white hairs that you could see occasionally when light hit them at the perfect angle. Definitely not from old age, though that would have been hilarious. His hair, a perfect white, also not from old age. It was windswept and unkempt, yet it fell in a relaxed manner, perfect for the easygoing and fun loving spirit of Winter. He was a heart breaker in his past life, she just knew it. The answer she already knew: swerve. Don't look back. You can't afford to have your heart stolen again.

Her intimidating gaze lay upon Jack, and he couldn't help but discover new things about this new girl. long sleeves-

_-duh, it's Winter for God's sake-_

-a tattoo on her ring finger, these huge piercings in her ears that Jack had seen teenagers donning, but didn't know how painful that would be on their skin, and a nose piercing. She no doubt had more tattoos, Jack just knew it. Her eyes were remarkable. Just a flick of those kelly green colored eyes and it could determine life or death on whatever she chose. They came off as cold, and uninviting. Jack knew, deep down, that they could never be like that. She looked really...Spring-y.

"Shouldn't you be hibernating, then?" he teasingly asked her. She rolled her eyes.

"Shouldn't you be frosting over some car windows?" she shot back, even faster. Wit was always a good trait. Not so good when you shoot it at people like a missile, intending to damn them to hell.

"Already did that." he smirked.

"Oh, good," she said, "so I can't make you leave."

Jack's face fell. He didn't like it when people didn't give him a chance. "I'm sorry, did I do anything wrong? I thought we were off to a pretty good start."

"I just don't need anybody in my life, is all."

"Why is that?"

She could've punched him if she so desired, but April held back. Nobody asked her this many questions. But, then again, she'd been alone for almost seventy years. She chose to be alone.

"Because the more people in your life, the more heartbreak gets caused." she answered plainly, and began to turn around. Nobody could tell her differently. She knew from experience.

"I don't believe that for a second." he said bluntly. She stopped, and glanced over her shoulder. "I don't," he mumbled.

"Go on." she said. "Explain to me why you don't believe that."

"Because!" Jack bounced where he was standing. "You surround yourself with people, and they make you feel better, make you feel happy. They make you feel wanted, and they make you feel like you matter."

"Someone had a happy childhood." April remarked.

"Yeah, I did have a happy childhood." _Sorta_. "But I also had-and still do-friends that were there for me, to pick me up when I was down. To fix my heart, rather than break it."

April remained silent. She couldn't say anything to him that could potentially give away what had happened to her. She hit the ground with the toe of her boot, and stuffed her hands in her pockets.

"I, uh, have to go." she said finally.

"Where to?" he asked.

She thought for a moment before responding. "Away, is all."

Jack nodded, and looked the other way. "See you around, Miss Nameless." he teased. Before she could walk away, Jack had glanced back in time to see it-a faint smile adorning her lips. It made him smile wider, and with ease, he took a running start and sprang up, into the chilly Winter air.


	2. Chapter 2

April sighed. She didn't choose life without boys. She just didn't see any other way to save herself.

A snow bird chirped beside her, and she smiled. Animals knew the best way to make her feel better. She rubbed her forefinger over its head, and her thumb over its protruding stomach.

"Yeah, I guess Winter's alright," she commented to the bird, "the snow's pretty, and you get to bundle yourself in warm fuzzy clothes. It actually makes me feel alive. But other than that, I don't like it. I'm more of a springtime girl."

The bird chirped again and hopped onto her lap. It nuzzled into her natural warmth. April looked up to the sky. It was a clear blue, and the sun shone down onto the snow that had fallen the previous day, creating a clean, white serenity. Jack Frost was nowhere to be found.

"_I think you should give him a chance_." the snow bird said to her from its placement in her lap. April looked down.

"Why should I give him a chance? He just wants my heart." she answered.

"_You don't know that_."

"I do."

"_Look, miss, whatever happened to you before, it's in the past._" the snow bird chirped again, and nuzzled April again. "_The frost bringer is a very good guy. He's nice to the children, and he knows how to have fun. He's been through a lot, too. You should give him a chance_."

April sighed softly. She just couldn't win, could she?

"So, Jack." North looked up from his work. It was nearing his holiday, and the workshop was as busy as ever. Yetis thundered around without bothering to consult North, obviously too busy with preparations. Even the elves were scurrying around, delivering cookies to the occasional yeti. "How are you doing?"

Jack leaned against the side of his work space. He was lost in thought. "Fine...fine." it didn't seem like he was there, and this startled North.

"Are you sure? You haven't broken a single toy today." he stated. Phil garbled as he passed by the two, as if to say, "Don't give him any ideas."

Jack sighed. "She's different than I expected." he said. North's brow raised, and he sat on the edge of the sturdy table near him.

"Who is?" the bigger man asked.

"Her." Jack managed to say after a few minutes of silence, full of scattered thoughts.

"Who is 'her'?" North pressed. He needed to know, one way or another.

"Just this girl I met yesterday. I don't know anything about her, other than she's really detached."

"Is she a spirit?" North continued. "If she isn't, you need to clear head of such fog. No need-"

Jack almost froze himself to his seat at the mere thought of that mysterious girl leaving his life forever. "-I could cheat the books anyway!" he snapped, before calming himself once more. "You and I both know there's a way to make someone immortal."

"But that's a one in a million chance!" North exclaimed. "What if she isn't your One? She'll be gone, and will take a part of you with her."

Jack looked down at his staff. "She has to be my One."

North nodded. Oh, how he missed his One. She was so caring, and even Katherine had grown attached to her. If it weren't for the pictures in his private office, North would not know what his late wife looked like anymore. It had been that long, and he missed her dearly. He forced a smile for the younger spirit's sake. "What is she like? Tell me everything."

Jack looked up, inhaled carefully, and began. The only time he would stop before he ended was to get more air. The way he was going, Jack could have easily talked for hours about the way her hair fell past her shoulders, or the way she walked with her back straight, completely without slouch. He could've talked for a whole day and night just about the way she said "and".

"And for the life of me, I can't figure out her name."

North stroked his beard thoughtfully. "What does she remind you of?"

He let his mind wander to find an honest answer. He realized she reminded him of a flower that had not yet bloomed. She was closed off and resolved, but Jack knew from the moment he got her to smile that she would act different around people who she was close to. "Like a flower." he answered after a while.

"And when do people usually believe flowers to grow?"

"In the Spring?" Jack said tentatively.

"Specifically, in what month?"

What month? Jack didn't know that. Spring wasn't his season, it was somebody else's. North had to give him a hint here. "I...I don't know." Jack rubbed his eyebrow, and continued to wonder. "April?"

North shook his head. "No, April is a month full of something we like to call 'rain', but some people prefer to call it…" he waited for Jack to finish.

"...showers?" he asked. The older man nodded.

"Yes. And then come the flowers, after all the rain." North paused, and smiled down at Jack. He was fairly intelligent when he believed himself to be. But that was hardly ever. "I think you know what you need to. Go find out if you're right."

Jack hopped down from the desk and ventured out into the bone-chilling wind and snow of the North Pole. He had to speak to her again.

"It was hard growing up like that," she said to the bird. It had decided to stick around her the rest of the day. "Bomb shelters weren't really nice places to grow up in."

Jack stopped when he heard her voice. He knew it was her, just by the way her accent flowed. She would surely stop talking if he approached, and he didn't want that.

"Of course, it was as good of a place to confide in as any," she continued, "I just wish so many lives weren't lost."

So many lives were lost? Bomb shelters? Jack had an idea of what she was talking about. It was a war. And she'd lived through it. Jack didn't like any of the wars that had happened, but he always tried to make the best of things.

"I remember," he stepped out from behind some trees. April sat straighter, and her head whipped around to capture him in her sights. "There were these kids that got sick, or injured. I sang to them. To help them fall asleep."

"You mean the big wars? With Hitler?" she asked cautiously. Jack nodded, and sat near her. A light snowfall began to drift down as he remembered the children's faces, so peaceful, and quiet, on that Christmas night, and the Christmases before.

"Yeah. I'm not a very good singer, but I like lullabies. No matter if you're a good singer or not, they most always calm the kids down." Even though he was cold, Jack thought the children only fell asleep if they knew his presence was there. It was a nice feeling.

"I sang to my siblings, too." April said after becoming silent for a while. "It was a dark time. There was a lot of fasting and praying contributing from all of us."

Jack was now curious. "What songs did you sing them?" he asked.

April smiled. "Just like you said, some old lullabies. My mom used to sing them to me, and I sang them to my brother and sisters. It was called, "Go To Sleep My Baby". That song was the only thing that could calm their nerves."

He truly did not know this one. "What are the words?" Jack inquired.

April inhaled. It had been a while since she sang the song. Could she even get through it?

"Go to sleep my baby close those big blue eyes

Angels up above you peeping through the clearing in the skies.

When the great big moon is shining, stars begin to peep.

Now it's time for little pickaninnies to go to sleep."


End file.
